People have been buzzing about the opening of Dashi, a ramen shop and izakaya (Japanese pub), for months now, eagerly awaiting the opening of its doors. Well, wait no more. Dashi, brought to you by partners Billy and Kelli Cotter of Toast and Nick Hawthorne-Johnson and Rochelle Johnson of The Cookery, opens today in downtown Durham at 415 East Chapel Hill Street.
It is a two-story establishment. The first story is a ramen shop with an open kitchen and serves both lunch and dinner. The second story izakaya offers dinner and late night fare along with craft cocktails, shochu, Japanese whiskey, a sake and wine list curated by Wine Authorities’ Craig Heffley, and beer, including a selection from Ponysaurus Brewing Company brewed exclusively for Dashi. Menu choices include small plates such as bacon-wrapped mochi yakimono and pork belly tonkatsu.
Dashi springs from a pop-up restaurant called Hakanai that the Cotters and Johnsons opened for three nights at The Cookery back in 2013. The enthusiastic response led them to develop Dashi.
They do not take reservations.
Dashi, 415 E. Chapel Hill St., Durham. Ramen shop hours: 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. and| 5:30 p.m. – 10:30 p.m. Izakaya hours: 5 p.m.– 2 a.m. Closed Sundays.
